Pages [UNDER CONSTRUCTION!]

26 October 2014

..::Product Review::.. Bulu Box ~ October

My Review of the October 2014 Bulu Box

What is it exactly?

From the website. . .

"Bulu Box is the best way to discover health, nutrition and weight loss products. Each monthly sample box is filled with 4 to 5 premium products selected to help you feel your best. Look forward to a new mix monthly for both women and men that include: vitamins, weight loss, energy, protein, digestion, sleep support, fitness DVDs, healthy food utensils and more."

Review…

Bulu Box recently sent me their new October subscription box. This box included the following: Nuvia Cafe Instant Coffee, Sleepy Beans, Barlean's CoQ10 Swirt, YouTheory Turmeric Advanced, BiPro Whey Protein Isolate, Smarty Pants Adult Multi + Fiber, and this month's bonus is a WellFood Double Chocolate Paleo Cookie.The Bulu Box is very, very affordable at $10/month, with free shipping! You can also sign up for a 3-month, 6-month, or 12-month subscription, and can cancel at time. It's as easy as that!

Packaging & Presentation

As I opened my mailbox, I was excited to see this little orange box sitting inside. Measuring 12" x 8", this box packs a bunch of goodies! Clearly, one can see that it is, indeed, the Bulu Box. What you see below is a picture of the exterior box. On the bottom was the shipping label, and the rest of the box is covered with encouraging quotes. Interesting!

The inside of the box was just as outstanding! First, I do want to point out that this box was easy to open. That's always a plus! Unlike previous boxes, this month's box did not have any orange tissue paper enveloping the samples. I set everything up so you can get a good look!

My Personal Experience with the Bulu Box

If you know me personally, you would know that I love learning about nutritional products, and living a healthy lifestyle. This is what naturally attracted me to the Bulu Box. Sometimes, I walk around stores and see a bunch of products I like, but they are so expensive! The Bulu Box is a great way to be able to sample premium products at a low price. Here is the close-up:

The first product that I tried was the Barlean's CoQ10 Swirl. My husband helped me sample this one. The package is really attractive, and my husband loved the flavor. He said it has a really strong mango taste. It has a smoothie taste and texture, but provides a powerful antioxidant boost for heart heath and new cell development. There is 100mg CoQ10 & 720mg of EPA/DHA per serving, easily absorbed, no artificial colors or flavors, no sugar (naturally sweetened with Xylitol), gluten free, and non-GMO. What I didn't like about his product was that there were no directions, nor supplement facts. The normal price is $35.99 for 16 oz, but you can purchase from the Bulu Box shop for $20.23 with free shipping.

Secondly, I sampled the YouTheory Turmeric Advanced. I have recently been on a Turmeric kick. I've been doing a lot of research and trying to correlate the benefits of the supplement with the needs of my body. Turmeric works great as an anti-inflammatory. It is also an efficient antioxidant. I love its immune boosting properties. Turmeric contains curcuminoids, and YouTheory's contains 95% curcuminoids protected by an enteric coating on each tablet. I was provided with 6 tablets and I added them to my daily supplements. The price is $29.99 for 120 tablets.

The third sample is a product called Nuvia Cafe. This is an instant coffee that is loaded with amazing ingredients such as organic Ganoderma Extract, ECGC, African Mango extract, and pomegranate extract. Nuvia Cafe supports healthy energy, immune health, and is an appetite suppressant. This is my favorite sample out of the entire box. I was pleasantly surprised with the aroma. It tasted great! In fact, I am switching my normal choice coffee for Nuvia Cafe. I felt a general feeling of wellness after drinking this! The price of Nuvia Cafe is $32.99 for 30 sachets, and I cannot wait to order this!

The next product that I tried is the Sleepy Beans. They contain three natural ingredients: 5HTP, GABA, and melatonin. It assists in the process of falling asleep, and it maximizes the benefits of sleep providing a well-rested feeling in the morning. These capsules are medium-sized and are vegetarian. What I like about these is that they do not force you to sleep. You become more relaxed and drift off easier. These cost $19.99 for 60 capsules.

Next, a product that I've wanted to try forever! Smarty Pants Adult Multi + Fiber. I'm honestly not sure if I wanted to try it because of the benefits or due to the adorable owl on the bottle! Either way, I really like these. They are a complete multivitamin that also provide a solid source of fiber to help with digestion. There is no high fructose corn syrup nor artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. These are also gluten and casein free. Personally, I thought they were delicious and they smelled good. They also are really sticky when you chew them and stuck to my teeth for a few seconds. These cost $47.95 for 30 servings, and can be purchased through the Bulu Box shop with free shipping.

Next, I was able to try a whey protein supplement for the first time! This is excellent for muscle repair and uses branch chain amino acids (BCAA's) to help speed up the recovery process. BiPro is all natural, has zero carbs, and is fat and sugar free. I poured the packet into a glass of cold milk and I thought it was vanilla. Well, it was unflavored. Ick! I added half of a packet of Nesquick and it tasted delicious. This is something I can definitely see myself using. BiPro Whey Protein Isolate costs $49.99 for a 2 lb. tub in the Bulu Box shop. You can purchase chocolate, french vanilla, or unflavored. This product also ships free.

The last product in this month's Bulu Box is the bonus item-- the WellFood Double Chocolate Paleo Cookie. This is great for those of you that follow the paleo diet and are looking for a treat. They are dairy, gluten, grain, and lactose free. I tried this cookie, and I did not like it. I am not on a paleo diet, but to me it tasted like a protein bar. It was dense and somewhat on the bitter side. These cookies are originally $19.99 / 6 cookies, but you can purchase them in the Bulu Box shop for $14.99 / 6 cookies.

I also got some pretty awesome coupons with this box! I received another 20% off coupon for Hipssister, a free download of a yoga class, 20% off of "Strogation" (Larysa Didio's newest DVD), and 15% off at Pinks and Greens (a store that focuses on designer brands for fitness, golf, and tennis). I also received some exclusive Bulu Box offers as well as a tip sheet for swapping Halloween candy for a more healthy option.

Lastly, I also wanted to make note of the included sample journal. It is a card that allows you to keep track of the samples. For instance, it lists all the samples and allows you to fill in information about them as you take them. It is a good way to keep track of what you like (...and what you don't!). The other side lists information about all the included samples. I use mine every time I sample, so I know exactly what I'd like more of.

Pros of the Bulu Box

You get to try well known, expensive nutritional supplements, weight loss products, and more once a month without wasting a bunch of money (especially if you don't like it!)

Shipped directly to your door. No going to GNC to ask for small samples, no ordering samples from numerous websites.

There is a little something for everybody. It's nice to be able to step out of your comfort zone, too, and try something you wouldn't normally purchase.

The sample journal is a nice tool to hang on the fridge and remind yourself to rate each sample for the rewards program.

I was so excited to see a product (Smarty Pants) that I've always wanted to try in my box. I'd been wanting these for a long time, but could never justify the expense without knowing if I'd like them or not.

Cons of the Bulu Box

Sometimes a subscriber does not prefer products with certain ingredients. It would be awesome if the Bulu Box website allowed you to create a profile that let you check off a list of common ingredients that you don't like. That way they don't ship you samples that you won't use.

Some of the samples are too small, and you do not have enough sample to formulate an opinion of the product.

Summary

Overall, I was happy with this box. I absolutely loved the Nuvia Cafe, and I plan on ordering a bunch of it! I was excited to try my first Smarty Pants Multivitamin, and again, I will be buying some of those, too! The turmeric was nice, but there wasn't enough sample to be able to notice any difference day-to-day. The Sleepy Beans and the BiPro Whey Protein Isolate were new to me, and I really enjoyed reading and learning about them. The CoQ10, although delicious, was not very descriptive on their packaging with exactly how you use it. Lastly, the WellFood Double Chocolate Paleo Cookie? I didn't enjoy it very much. I also think the price is really high for a pack of 6 cookies. I also wanted to let you know about Bulu Box's rewards program. After you sample everything, you fill out a survey about how you liked it, and you get 60 points. That equates to $6.00. These rewards points stack up so you can buy the full-sized versions of your favorite products. It's a pretty cool idea, and you aren't losing anything out of it.YET ANOTHER awesome element of Bulu Box is they participate in the Vitamin Angel program. Bulu Box will donate $0.25 of select purchases to Vitamin Angels to help at-risk women, new mothers and children gain access to life changing vitamins and minerals.

Are you wanting to try the Bulu Box, too? You WON'T be disappointed! Click the link below, and order away! Use coupon code BULUGAN407 to get 50% your first box!!!CLICK HERE TO ORDER!

DISCLAIMER: I received the product mentioned above complimentary for review purposes from Bulu Box. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. All opinions stated above are solely mine, and have not been influenced in any way. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

No comments:

Quick Notes

Thanks for all of your kind emails and messages! I am still working on a few changes behind the scenes, but I did implement a few new topics of which YOU are interested-- a DIY section, Good Deals, and new book reviews.

I am looking into changing the website design. Before any major design changes occur, I will send out an email letting you guys know what to expect!